Former Kentucky star Lonnie Johnson traded to Super Bowl contender

The Houston Texans have traded former Kentucky cornerback Lonnie Johnson to the Kansas City Chiefs, according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport. The Texans will receive a conditional 2024 seventh round pick in return for the fourth-year pro.

A second round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, Johnson spent the first three years of his career with the Texans. This past season, he set a career high with three interceptions to go along with six passes defended and 55 tackles. He was an off-and-on starter throughout his time in Houston, making 19 starts in 49 games played.

Johnson is set to join a Kansas City Chiefs team that has Super Bowl aspirations in 2022. Led by quarterback Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs appeared in back to back title games during the 2019 and 2020 seasons. They also added receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and safety Justin Reid in free agency in attempt to bolster their roster.

A former three-star recruit in the class of 2014, Johnson ranked as the No. 109 player according to On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He received offers from teams such as Cincinnati, Ohio State and Illinois, but ultimately signed with Western Michigan.

The cornerback never played for the Broncos, beginning his college career Garden City Community College in Kansas. He was named second team All-Jayhawks Community College Conference in 2015 after finishing with 35 tackles, five interceptions and a fumble recovery. Lonnie Johnson then joined Kentucky as a transfer for the 2017 season.

In two seasons with the Wildcats, Johnson finished with 64 tackles, one interception and nine passes defended. His final season in 2018, Kentucky finished with a 10-3 record after defeating Penn State in the Citrus Bowl. It is only of only four 10-win season in program history, including two within the past four years.